HTC One and HTC One Mini get Android 4.4 Kitkat in the UK

OWNERS OF THE FLAGSHIP HTC One and HTC One Mini smartphones in the UK can now download the long awaited upgrade to Android 4.4 Kitkat.

The rollout is available to customers with unlocked handsets, as well as Vodafone, Three and O2. EE, which is often the last off the starting blocks with updates, is bringing up the rear, with the HTC website showing the One and One Mini handsets as still being integrated with the carrier's customisations.

Customers of several mobile carriers in the US, including AT&T and T-Mobile, have also confirmed that the download has arrived for their devices across the pond, along with the Google Edition, which includes stock Android 4.4 Kitkat out of the box.

The update brings a number of new features to the flagship HTC models, including tighter cloud integration and a unified Inbox, but it also removes Adobe Flash support, which has been missing from most smartphones for some time.

The HTC One joins the growing list of smartphones that have received updates to the latest Android Kitkat version. Rollouts for Nexus devices, the Motorola Moto G, Moto X and the Samsung Galaxy S4 are already in progress, with each manufacturer promising that other models' updates are on the way.

HTC has received some criticism for not updating the HTC One X despite the fact that it's only 18 months old.

With many new devices being announced at this week's Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, we can expect even more additions to that roster, which should help bolster the lacklustre rollout of Android 4.4 Kitkat, which stood at just 1.8 percent market share at the end of January. µ